


The Serpent's Heart

by AlsyWalsy



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Crowley with kids, Its Crawley, M/M, just random cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 09:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20618636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlsyWalsy/pseuds/AlsyWalsy
Summary: As an angel, Aziraphale knew that he should not concern himself with the feelings of a demon, but the look on his face was hard to forget. The tone of his voice when he spoke of the children - 'you can't kill kids'Aziraphale and Crawley as the Flood begins.





	The Serpent's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I am a sucker for Crowley interacting with children. That is all.

Despair.

It hung heavy in the air, prickling against the skin on his arms and settling in his lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The whole area practically reeked of it.

He didn't need to be preternatural to sense the atmosphere around him. One thousand years in close proximity to humans allowed one a degree of understanding, about their reactions, their emotions, their fears. Fear was one of the strongest emotions, and those present had every reason to feel it.

The completed Ark was a marvel to behold, but Aziraphale couldn't find it in him to be impressed, even as animals of all shapes and sizes wandered past. So many human creations were about to be destroyed - not to mention the humans themselves. How could he marvel at this vessel when it signified the end of all that remained behind?

Not for the first time since the message came down from heaven, Aziraphale had several thoughts that were unbecoming of an angel.

Angels should not question the word of God, but when She decided that countless innocent should die for the sins of the few, he had questions. Such thoughts set every part of him on edge. His very human form felt queasy in its stomach. He delicately rested a hand across his middle.

He could fall for these doubts. He could fall for asking questions.

He didn't want to fall.

He _couldn't_ fall.

"Hello, Aziraphale!" The voice at his shoulder made him jump. A firm shake of his head chased the previous thoughts away, back into the safest depths of his mind.

A single demonic presence in one thousand years on this planet and he had failed to feel his approach. What kind of angel was he if he couldn't even sense a demon? Not a very good one. But this particular demon was flashing him that brilliant smile he remembered so clearly, oozing friendliness and charm from every pore. Aziraphale was pretty sure that demons weren't meant to be this friendly. Perhaps it was all an act. His time amongst the humans had proven that, while he could feel general emotions, he was far from adept at understanding social situations. Would he get points for trying?

Crawley continued to speak as Aziraphale briefly tried to work out just _who_ would be awarding these points.

The doubts began to creep back in as he took the time to explain the situation to the demon. The look on his face was not difficult to interpret, even for a socially inept angel; Crawley was shocked, and a touch horrified. To think that the Almighty - leader of 'the Good side' - would do such a thing to Her creations. A small voice in the back of his mind reminded him that She had done worse to the angels that rebelled.

As it turned out, news of the freshly imagined 'rain-bow' did not change much, and the look on Crawley's face remained the same. Aziraphale picked at one thumb with the nail of the other.

The rain started abruptly, and he squinted against the harshness of the drops. It seemed that the time was here already. That uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach again.

"Crawley. Do you thi-" But the demon was gone.

He looked around but could see no sign of the redhead amongst the gathered crowd. Said crowd was busy muttering amongst themselves, trying their best to shield from the rain. Oh, how he wished that he could help them all, and yet, he couldn't interfere. God's plan and all that.

Aziraphale shook his head and turned away completely, allowing his feet to take him wherever they pleased. Nobody noticed him pass.

He might not be allowed to question God's choices, but nothing was forcing him to stay and watch.

As an angel, Aziraphale knew that he should not concern himself with the feelings of a demon, but the look on his face was hard to forget. The tone of his voice when he spoke of the children - 'you can't kill kids'. If he concentrated, he could still feel the demonic presence on his celestial radar. He hadn't gone far. It wouldn't be hard to check on him, make sure he was all right.

The rainfall grew heavier, plastering his curls against his forehead and making his robe cling uncomfortably. Not to mention the mud caking itself between his toes. As it turned out, sandals were dreadful protection against rain.

"Oh, blast it." He muttered softly and turned to follow Crawley's path.

Treacherous thoughts tried to bloom in the silence of his walk. Despite chastising the demon for judging the Almighty, Aziraphale found himself doing the same thing. Such thoughts were surely blasphemy. He was sure that any moment God Herself would come down to banish him; strip him of his grace and throw him to the boiling sulphur pits of Hell.

The first roll of thunder nearly caused him to discorporate on the spot.

It was not a smiting, but a reminder of the power the Almighty held, nonetheless. She might not be present at that moment, but She was omnipresent. Aziraphale quickened his pace, teeth worrying his bottom lip.

There were a few things that Aziraphale was expecting when he caught up with Crawley, but this- this was not on the list. A small lean-to appeared on the horizon, covering a small group of people from the torrential downpour. A tall figure stood before ten or so children, and they were laughing, squealing with delight. Utterly oblivious to the end of their world.

It wasn't difficult to identify the man-shaped being as Crawley - there were few with their skin tone in these parts and fewer still with red hair. But it was his antics that caught Aziraphale so off-guard.

"Have you seen the elephants?! Massive! They stand thissss high," Crawley stood in his tippy toes and reached up as high as he could, "and have huuuuge ears."

A fresh peal of laughter escaped the children as the black-clad demon flapped his arms to demonstrate just how large an elephant's ears were. One arm soon became a trunk and elephant-Crawley was chasing around a number of the gathered children, their small feet kicking up dust. Miraculously, the rain did not seep past the borders of the lean-to.

One of the smaller girls turned to face Crawley, her dark eyes filled with wonder. "Do you know when the rain will stop? I want to go and see an elephant!"

Aziraphale could almost feel the demon's heartbreak. He was very nearly overwhelmed by the rush of pain and clutched his chest, as though it could soothe the ache. From this short distance, he was able to see serpentine eyes search the skies - then they landed on him.

Both angel and demon were frozen, time ticking by without either moving a muscle. Those eyes were now searching him for answers, begging for them, and it made the ache in his chest that much worse.

_You're an angel, do something! Ask Her to change her mind. Beg Her. Do something, anything at all! At least, save the children. Please, Aziraphale.._

Sodden, defeated, rain dripping from his nose, Aziraphale had no answer to give other than a sad smile.

Crawley was the one to break eye contact and dropped to his knees before the girl, speaking softly. If Aziraphale heard a demon's promise to show a doomed little girl a real elephant, nobody would ever know.

"You're forgetting the lions, my dear."

Children and demon alike were surprised when the angel stepped into the small area, looking like not a single drop of rain had ever touched him.

"Lions?" Crawley looked as though his mind wasn't quite catching up with his mouth.

"Yes, lions. With their big, beautiful manes. Why, sort of like yours." The angel clicked his fingers and Crawley's thick curls started to spread out, haloing his head in red.

"Like mine."

Honestly, if the demon was only going to repeat everything he said, they were not going to successfully entertain any of the children. He gave him a rather pointed look and, suddenly, the demon snapped back to reality.

"Yes, just like mine! And they roar, a big noise with sharp, pointy teeth!" Crawley dropped to his hands and knees and put on a great show of the best roar he could manage, displaying his own pointed teeth.

The brave girl who had spoken up gave her best roar in reply, and it quickly dissolved into a dozen lions all roaring at one another. Aziraphale found himself smiling as one small lion rode around on the largest lion's back for a while. There was so much joy in this small area, and it was thanks to a demon, of all things.

Next was a giraffe, then a mouse, and finally a snake made an appearance. For a brief moment, Aziraphale feared Crawley might actually revert to his serpent form. But he settled for some impressive hissing and allowing each child to see his brilliant yellow eyes up close.

"Did you know," Crawley was sitting in the middle of the circle of children, one young boy settled on his knee, "that there are birds which have bigger wings than I am tall."

Aziraphale knew the bird being referred to, but he wasn't entirely sure he liked where this particular topic was going. So far, he had escaped doing any of the demonstrations himself. He just supplied a few minor miracles to the cause.

He especially didn't like it when Crawley turned a smirk on him.

_No_. Not a chance.

"How big?" A young voice piped up.

"Huge, little one. And they are perfectly white, not a feather out of place."

Aziraphale wondered if he could just disappear without being missed, but the demon's gaze had him pinned. With a heavy sigh, he rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat.

"A bit like these."

A loud whoosh scattered dust from the ground, out into the rain beyond. Two brilliant, dazzling white wings unfurled from behind the angel's back. Each wing trembled and shook itself out, as though stretching for the first time in years. It had been years, in fact, decades even. Perhaps centuries.

It hadn't taken the humans very long to develop an aversion to anything even slightly out of the ordinary, so each had taken to hiding their wings. Apparently, children did not have these same issues.

Their safe little bubble was filled with sounds of awe as small humans crowded the angel. Suddenly, Aziraphale remembered that humans tended to have grabby hands, and his wings tucked tightly against his back.

But no grabbing happened. Each child was respectful of his personal space and shuffled around to get a better look.

"They're so pretty."

"Can I touch them?"

"Please?"

Crawley was still watching from his place on the ground, his mouth twitching in an attempt not to laugh. Oh, the demon was enjoying this far too much. With another sigh, the wings slowly lowered once again.

The angel suddenly had what the humans would eventually refer to as a 'lightbulb moment'.

"These 'birds' also have black wings, you know. Beautiful, dark and shimmering." Pale eyes were full of mischief, Aziraphale really was pleased with himself. Until he noticed Crawley laugh. Why wasn't he as put out by this as the angel was?

With a second whoosh, demonic wings had also filled the area, stretching out in a similar fashion to his own.

"Black 'birds' and white 'birds'. Not much of a difference, eh?" There was something in his tone that made the angel pause. Crawley looked so serious, despite his lazy smile.

"Not much, indeed. Same stock, after all."

"Same stock." He agreed.

"Can we touch them, please?"

"Please?"

The chorus of small voices was very quickly deafening, but Aziraphale didn't mind. Spending the rest of his afternoon bringing smiles to children's faces felt right. In this way, he could help alleviate some of the suffering that was to come, even if only for a little while.

And if he happened to be working alongside a demon to bring that joy, what did it really matter? He knew that the demon cared, far more than he would likely ever admit. But Aziraphale would keep that secret to himself. It would warm his heart for millennia to come.


End file.
